This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-208875, filed Jul. 10, 2000 the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a computer system, a computer management system and a system management method capable of managing a system such as monitoring the system, modifying the setting thereof, and the like through an external terminal.
As a computer system capable of managing a system such as monitoring the system, modifying the setting thereof, and the like through an external terminal (management terminal), the following two types have been known.
A first computer system is a system one-to-one connected to an external terminal via a cable, for monitoring the system, modifying the setting thereof, and the like by use of a monitor and a keyboard of the same terminal. This method needs external terminals for the number of computer systems because the external terminals are individually connected to every computer system.
A second computer system is a system connected to an external terminal through a LAN (Local Area Network) and a management computer system, for monitoring the system, modifying the setting thereof, and the like by use of a monitor and a keyboard of the same terminal.
In this method, since a plurality (n units) of computer systems are n-to-one connected to one external terminal through the LAN, the external terminal required is only one regardless of the number of the computer systems.
As mentioned above, the first compute system is one-to-one connected to an external terminal. Therefore, the setting area and the number of wiring are accordingly increased as the number of the computer systems is increased, thereby causing an increase in the number of the external terminals.
Then, there is considered such a method that a plurality of computer systems and one external terminal are connected through a switching device such as a concentrator and the like, and that this switching device switches the connecting party of the external terminal to any computer system, so as to perform the management by one external terminal.
This method, however, needs wiring for the number of computer systems, and further needs a troublesome switching operation.
While, in the second computer system, one external terminal can monitor the system and modify the setting thereof through a LAN, even if the number of the computer systems is increased, as far as they are connected to the LAN.
However, since the respective computer systems must be connected to the LAN, if it becomes impossible to use the LAN due to some failure, monitoring of the system also becomes impossible.
In order to avoid a problem at the time a failure occurs in a LAN, duplication of the LAN can be considered. However, it costs much. Further, a LAN cannot be used without installation of an OS (Operating System) and initial setting.
When system information on a non-volatile memory, such as a BIOS (Basic I/O System: basic input/output system) program, is broken, the system cannot be activated and generally it cannot be recovered via a LAN.
The present invention is made in consideration of the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a computer system, a computer management system and a system management method capable of managing the system such as monitoring the system, modifying the setting thereof, and the like, at ease, through one external terminal, without a troublesome switching operation and without a LAN connection.
A computer system according to a first aspect of the present invention is a computer system which enables system management through a terminal having a wireless communication function, comprising a wireless communication interface capable of wireless communication between the above terminal and itself, and a system management controller which is connected to the wireless communication interface, for executing system management instructed by the above terminal, through wireless communication with the above terminal via the interface. As the wireless communication interface, for example, an infrared data communication interface, or a Bluetooth interface enabling wireless communication by radio waves can be used.
Thus, with a wireless communication interface provided in a computer system, the system management controller within the computer system communicates with a terminal (having a wireless communication function, that is, having a wireless communication interface) through the same interface. Therefore, the system management controller can manage the system such as monitoring the system and modifying the setting of the own computer system, upon receipt of an instruction from the terminal.
Since a plurality of computer systems can be provided in the range where wireless communication with a terminal is possible, one terminal (external terminal) can manage the plurality of the computer systems.
Especially, with inherent computer identification information (computer ID) assigned to each computer system, and with the IDs stored in storing means of the respective computer systems, if a connecting request including the computer ID of the computer system to be managed is sent from a terminal, it is designed in that only the system management controller of the computer system having the computer ID in accord with the computer ID during the connecting request assigned thereto, can return a response indicating a connection with the terminal, in the other words, that communication has been established between the terminal and itself, to the terminal through the wireless communication interface, thereby connecting a terminal with a computer system (a system management controller in it) specified by the terminal at ease. Thus, a plurality of computer systems can be managed by one terminal at ease.
Here, if the computer system can be provided with at least a display for use in displaying a connection with the terminal, and when the system management controller returns a response indicating a connection with the terminal, to the terminal, that effect can be displayed on the display, a manager can easily confirm which system of a plurality of computer systems is connected to the terminal.
In this structure, the system management controller can recovery, modify, and read out the information within the specified information storing means, according to an instruction from the terminal, even at the non-activation time of the computer system.
The present invention is constituted in that a computer system according to a second aspect, further comprises a bridge connected to the system management bus, and a non-volatile memory re-writable for storing a basic input/output system program, which is connected between the bridge and the system management bus, and that the information access means of the system management controller gains access to the non-volatile memory via the system management bus only at the non-activation time of the computer system.
In this structure, since the system management controller can gain access to the non-volatile memory through the system management bus at the non-activation time of the computer system, even if the basic input/output system program (BIOS program) on the non-volatile memory is broken and the system cannot be activated, the basic input/output system can be recovered by transferring the basic input/output system program to the system management controller of the computer system by wireless communication from the terminal, and the system management controller""s accessing to the non-volatile memory so as to restore the basic input/output system program.
The present invention is constituted in that a computer system according to the second aspect further comprises a first and a second buses, a CPU connected to the first bus, a first bridge to which the first bus, the second bus, and the main memory that is one of the various information storing means are connected, and a second bridge mutually connecting the second bus and the system management bus, and that the information access means of the system management controller gains access to the main memory via the system management bus, the second bridge, the second bus, and the first bridge, under control of the CPU, at the activation time of the computer system.
In this structure, the system management controller can recovery, modify, and read out the information on the main memory (system management information), through access to the main memory, under control of the CPU, that is, by communicating with a management program executed by the CPU at the activation time of the computer system.
Here, if providing the first bridge with an abnormal time access interface for connecting the main memory to the system management bus at the non-activation time of the computer system, it is possible to recovery, modify, and read out the information on the main memory, through access to the main memory by the information access means of the system management controller via the system management bus, even if in the state where the computer system is stopped.
The present invention is constituted in that a computer system according to the second aspect further comprises a first and a second buses, a CPU connected to the first bus, a first bridge mutually connecting the first bus and the second bus, a second bridge to which the second bus, the system management bus, and a disk storage that is one of the various information storing means are connected, and that the information access means of the system management controller gains access to the disk storage via the system management bus and the second bridge, under control of the CPU, at the activation time of the computer system.
In this structure, the system management controller can recovery, modify, read out (back up) the information on the disk storage (system setting information), through access to the disk storage, under control of the CPU, that is, by communicating with the management program executed by the CPU at the activation time of the computer system.
Here, if providing the second bridge with an abnormal time access interface for connecting the disk storage to the system management bus at the non-activation time of the computer system, it is possible to recovery, modify, and read out the information on the disk storage (system setting information), through access to the disk storage by the information access means of the system management controller via the system management bus, even if in the state where the computer system is stopped.
Further, the present invention is to form a computer management system comprising a terminal having a wireless communication function and a plurality of the computer systems of the above structure.
In this structure, since communication can be established between the terminal and the respective system management controllers of the respective computer systems via the wireless communication interface, without mutually connecting the terminal and the plurality of the computer systems by a LAN (local area network), one terminal can manage a plurality of computer systems by use of the system management controller of the same systems.
Here, if mutually connecting the terminal and the plurality of the computer system by a LAN, it is possible for a terminal to manage the computer systems by the conventional cable communication through a LAN and at the same time manage the computer systems by wireless communication, without mutually disturbing each other.
Moreover, in this structure, information for troublesome initial setting necessary for a LAN connection (initial setting information) can be automatically sent to the system management controller, through the wireless communication interface of the computer system, from the terminal, by wireless communication, and the same controller can set the initial setting information, thereby making it east to connect the terminal and the computer systems with a LAN.
The present invention according to the above computer management system can be established as the invention according to the method (system management method).
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.